The Trip Before The Trip

Published in the Sunday Indian Express Magazine - Eye on 10 August 2025

Why knowing a place before going can make all the difference

Last week, I was in Hong Kong with my wife Heta, our daughter Raya, and my cousins. Disneyland was on the agenda (more for Raya, we said, but let’s be honest, we all loved it), the weather was perfect, and the energy of the city was as infectious as ever.

But something else made this trip special for me. It wasn’t just the skyscrapers, the shopping, or the skyline. It was the stories behind all those things. Stories I had uncovered before even stepping on the plane.

Over the last few years, I have developed a new ritual. Whether it’s Tokyo or Budapest, Jaipur or Indore, I have begun preparing for my travels the way a journalist might prep for an interview, with curiosity. I read up. I watch documentaries. I listen to podcasts. I go down Wikipedia rabbit holes. I ask questions.

And what I have realised is this: when you prepare for a trip, the place greets you differently. You begin to notice details that others walk past. A building isn’t just glass and steel; it’s a Feng Shui decision. A name isn’t just a label; it’s a centuries-old memory.

So today, let me take you through a few of those discoveries, stories from Hong Kong and even Budapest, that reminded me how the right kind of curiosity can turn a good trip into a great one.

The Vertical Stories of Hong Kong

Hong Kong is known for its skyline, glittering towers that reach defiantly toward the clouds. But what I didn’t realise, until I started reading up before this trip, is just how intentional and culturally layered these skyscrapers really are.

Take a closer look at many residential high-rises in Hong Kong, and you might notice something peculiar: massive holes cut right through the buildings. These aren’t design flaws or ventilation gaps. They are called dragon gates, created in line with Feng Shui beliefs. According to ancient wisdom, dragons live in the mountains and fly to the sea. These holes are pathways, allowing the dragon’s energy to pass freely through the concrete jungle.

And then there’s the matter of numbers. Many buildings in Hong Kong skip entire floors, especially the number 4, which sounds like the word for ‘death’ in the Cantonese language. So, instead of going from 38 to 39 to 40… the elevator will jump straight from 39 to 50. Superstition? Maybe. But it’s one that’s built into the very structure of the city.

Even beyond these quirks, what struck me most was how Hong Kong has perfected the art of vertical living. Nearly half the city’s population lives in dense public housing estates that aren’t just residential buildings, but rather vertical ecosystems.

Entire communities in the sky. With supermarkets, clinics, schools, food courts, playgrounds, and even government offices stacked one on top of the other. This is called podium living, where a 5–7 storey base holds all the essentials, and life continues upwards.

As a visitor, it’s easy to marvel at the skyline from Victoria Peak or a harbour cruise. But when you learn why and how those buildings exist, the city changes for you. And the best part? I would have missed all of this if I hadn’t taken the time to dig deeper before boarding that flight.

The Story of Cathay Pacific

For our Hong Kong trip, that journey began the moment we stepped aboard a Cathay Pacific flight. Now I’ve flown with Cathay Pacific before, but on this trip, I found myself curious about its origins, who started it, and how it became so closely tied to Hong Kong’s identity, and that curiosity led me down a fascinating rabbit hole.

Cathay Pacific was founded in 1946 by two ex-Air Force pilots, Roy Farrell from the US and Sydney de Kantzow from Australia. After World War II, the duo saw an opportunity to connect people and cargo across Asia from a city they believed had immense potential: Hong Kong. They each put in HK$1 to register the company.

The name? It’s a story in itself. ‘Cathay’ was an ancient name for China, used by medieval Europeans. And ‘Pacific’? That was Farrell’s dream, that one day, their airline would fly across the vast Pacific Ocean.

In the beginning, the airline operated out of a hotel in Shanghai and flew a single Douglas DC-3 named Betsy. And while things were humble, the ambition wasn’t. Within a few years, Cathay became a trusted name, helping shape Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between East and West.

Today, Cathay Pacific is one of the most respected carriers in the world, known for its service, reliability, and deep roots in the city it calls home.

Fragrant Harbour

And as I kept digging, the stories didn’t stop at buildings or airlines; they extended even to the city’s name. It’s one of those things we say without thinking: Hong Kong. But do you know what the name actually means?

As it turns out, Hong Kong is the anglicised version of the Cantonese name Heung Gong, which translates to ‘Fragrant Harbour.’ The name likely comes from the area’s historic role as a bustling trading port, particularly in fragrant goods like incense, wood and spices that once flowed through its harbours.

Long before it became a vertical city of glass and steel, Hong Kong was a small fishing village with deep maritime roots.

Understanding the name added a layer to every ferry ride across Victoria Harbour, every walk through old neighbourhoods like Sheung Wan.

So, all of this had me thinking. Would I have enjoyed the trip as much if I hadn’t done all that reading beforehand? Probably not. Because it wasn’t just the views or the food or the weather, it was the stories that elevated our Hong Kong experience. And this has now become a ritual for me. Just like it was before my trip to Budapest a few years ago, a city where I learned just how far a little reading can take you…

A Quick Detour to Budapest

A few years ago, I conducted a similar deep dive before a trip to Budapest. What followed was one of the most enriching travel experiences I have ever had, all because I showed up curious.

Take the Chain Bridge, for instance. I had seen pictures of its imposing lion statues, but what I hadn’t known was the quirky urban legend that followed them. Locals say the sculptor forgot to carve tongues for the lions and, embarrassed by the ridicule, jumped into the Danube River. (Don’t worry, he didn’t. And the tongues are there. You just have to look closely.)

Then there are the thermal baths, beautiful, ornate, and deeply rooted in Hungarian culture. But did you know they were once Cold War meeting grounds? Politicians and spies would literally soak and negotiate. Bathhouse diplomacy, if you will.

I also learned that Dracula, yes, Vlad the Impaler himself, was imprisoned in the labyrinth under Buda Castle. And that Budapest is home to continental Europe’s oldest metro system, still running with its charming yellow cars and Art Nouveau stations.

Every one of these details changed how I saw the city. They turned buildings into stories, food into culture, and streets into experiences.

Why You Should Prepare Too

Let me now turn the lens toward you. If you have made it this far, I am going to guess you love travel. But here’s the truth: it’s easy to book flights, hotels, and tours. What’s not always obvious is that the most memorable travel moments come from curiosity, not checklists.

Because there’s a world of difference between showing up in a city… and meeting it halfway.

When you meet a place halfway, you don’t just take photos of a landmark; you notice the forgotten plaque at its base. You don’t just marvel at a local custom, you understand where it comes from. And you don’t just enjoy the food; you taste the stories behind it.

The good news? You don’t need to spend weeks researching. Sometimes all it takes is a quick podcast (maybe our very own podcast, Travel Explore Celebrate Life), a 10-minute YouTube documentary, or even scanning through a local tourism board’s Instagram feed.

Each nugget adds a layer. A connection. A conversation starter. A story you will remember years later.

And here’s the thing, I am not saying that you need to be a walking encyclopedia. Rather, it’s about being open, open to the little histories, the hidden details, and the unexpected joys that most travellers rush past.

A Trip Well Begun Is a Memory Well Made

So yes, we went to Hong Kong for a holiday. We took flights, booked hotels, and lined up places to visit. But what made the trip truly special wasn’t just ticking off the Big Buddha or riding the Peak Tram; it was knowing that the holes in skyscrapers let dragons pass, that ‘Hong Kong’ means Fragrant Harbour, and that a bell tower somewhere tracks approaching typhoons with eerie precision. It was knowing the stories beneath the skyline.

And that’s the invitation I want to leave you with.

Next time you plan a holiday, don’t just book it, build a relationship with it. When you do, the city won’t just let you in. It will let you belong. Read something. Watch something. Ask something. Because when you do, the city doesn’t just open up to you. It welcomes you.

And when you return home, you won’t just bring back photos or souvenirs. You will carry something better: the feeling of having met a place not as a tourist, but as a thoughtful, wide-eyed traveller. Until next time, keep discovering, keep wondering, and always, keep Celebrating Life.